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1. Description of Our Community
Banqiao, a district with the largest population(about 554,000 people) in New Taipei City, is located at the joint of the Tahan River and Xindian River. Being the political and economic center of New Taipei City, Banqiao is a prosperous district with a modern and well-connected transport system. New Banqiao Station, a landmark in Banqiao, is a major transport hub interconnecting the Taiwan Railways, Taipei MRT, and Taiwan High Speed Rail. More and more people choose to live in Banqiao and commute between Banqiao and Taipei. Banqiao becomes a new hometown to people from southern Taiwan. It is also close to Taipei Songshan Airport and Chiang Kai-shek International Airport. The Lin Family Mansion and Garden, one of the tourist attractions in Banqiao, is today’s most complete private garden left in Taiwan. The valuable cultural heritage reminds people to appreciate the beauty of historical antiquities and monuments. Besides, Banqiao 435 Arts District and 435 International Artist Village located near The Lin Family Mansion and Garden add rich multicultural colors to the life in Banqiao. And, residents here are cordial, hard-working, unsophisticated, and friendly.
2. Summary of Our Project
Taiwan Toy Museum is located in Banqiao 435 Arts District. There are copious displays inside the museum and a big playing area outside. People can have much fun from playing different toys and games here. This project comprises the founder’s dream and ambition, the hardship of establishing the museum, the introduction of the toys, the media reports, and the visitors’ impressions. We even design the Q & A game for testing people’s toy knowledge in this project. We hope that our community, our homeland and even the whole world will know more about Taiwan Toy Museum and our culture heritage can be extended through this project.
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:more than 6
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6
E. Additional comments concerning your computer and/or Internet access (Optional):
School: Every classroom at our school is equipped with one computer and there are four large computer rooms as well. Most of the time, we learned lessons and surf the Internet to collect information in computer rooms. We also applied for a network disk for uploading or downloading our files. Home: All of our team members have our own computers and the computers are all equipped with ADSL, so that we could surf the Net to get the data we need.
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
1. Data collecting: The founder of Taiwan Toy Museum, Wen-Jing Jiang, passed away in Oct. 2008, so it’s a pity that we couldn’t have an interview with him to fully understand his ideas for the establishment of the museum. Luckily, his wife, Bi-Shia Wang, fulfilled his last wish and took over the work. She explained all the details patiently and attentively. We deeply appreciate for her kindness and help. 2. Web design and learning: We didn’t have enough ability to design and make a web page in the beginning. Thanks to our teacher, Mr. Qi-Quan Lin, he spent much time teaching us how to make web pages and design computer animations. He also enlightened us how to clearly present the collections of the museum and how to share them with others on the Net. 3. Time limitation: We could only make use of the short break at noon for the project because every team member was very busy with school work. Besides that, we had so much to do, such as collecting information, reorganizing materials, practicing interview techniques, learning computer software, discussing the details, and so on. We had to do parts of the project at home. Therefore, we were very tired during these six months. In order to present the best of the museum and share the joy of playing toys with other people, we seized the time, encouraged each other and tried our best to accomplish this project. 4. Teamwork: It’s not easy to cooperate with each other because every team member has his own personality and talent. We are very thankful that our teacher, Mr. Tang, assigned us the work wisely. With his leadership, we brainstormed ideas and worked together quite well.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
1. We hope that our project can relive childhood memories and present the wonderful collections of Mr. and Mrs. Jiang. It is more joyful to share the joy than to keep it to oneself. While playing the toys with others, we cultivate our open minds as well. 2. What we learned from Mr. Jiang’s story is the perseverance to make dreams come true. We believe that we will achieve our goals if we try hard to carry them out. That’s why we were willing to go through the challenges lied ahead with courage. 3. Each old toy is the wisdom of forefathers. Once old toys were damaged, they will disappear. We finally understand Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang’s enthusiasm and motivation in the old toys. That’s because of the cultural value hidden in old toys. The purpose for doing this project is not just to present the result but also to realize the importance of culture inheritance and become one of the inheritors.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
In order to understand more about the history of toys, we surfed the Net to collect data and had an interview with the present curator, Mrs. Jiang. We gained a lot due to the experience, not to mention the pleasure of learning by playing. We realize that it’s not easy to set up such a museum and we should cherish what we have in our community. The preparation for CyberFair requires us with not only the basic computer skills but also multiple skills to support and work together to complete the homepage design. The following is an illustration of how our project integrates with the curriculum: A. Art Designing homepages requires the skills of design, photography, editing and audio. B. Computer: The Computer is quite important when we do the project. The computer course is certainly related to this project for the skills of making a web page. C. Environmental Education: Environmental Education makes us cherish daily supplies, and even a used toy can be a great memento to the next generation. D. General activity We had constant group discussions and cooperation to make feasible and detailed plans beforehand, and then to carry them out. We learned the true spirit and the skill of working as a team - to trust, to share, and to be on time, which is also one of the focuses in our school curriculum. E. Geography We need the basic concept of geography to know the different locations of the museum and the transportation. And, we know more about our homeland and love our neighborhood because of geography learning. F. History Through deep investigations, we understand more about the background of ancient toys. Basic knowledge of history helps us understand that the development of toys corresponds to the society then. G. Language Every progress report, toy introduction and interview script was all testing our ability of organizing and writing. H. Life Education: Life education helps us to have empathy for the interviewee. I. Math We need to have the basic math ability and logic thinking when introducing the puzzle toys to the visitors or on the web page. J. Science Some principles applying on toys, such as gravity, need to be understood when doing this project. In addition, we made feasible and detailed plans through group discussions and cooperation. We learned to carry out our plans as a team, which is core value in our school curriculum. What we learned in class isn’t only …
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1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?
1. Interviews: Mrs. Jiang was our tour guide when we visited the museum. She demonstrated the ways of playing with toys and told us the stories about the toys and the museum. We obtained precious information and knowledge from the interview; meanwhile, we experienced the fun of playing the toys. 2. Telephone: contacting, consulting, and communication 3. Digital Camera: Taking photos of the interviews, the relevant pictures and the process of our teamwork. The video function of digital camera also helped us fully record our activities. 4. Scanner: After being permitted to use the pictures, we scanned many precious pictures and displayed them in the project. 5. Digital Voice Recorder: Recording the interviews. The vocal files helped us write the interview content efficiently. 6. Books, magazines and newspapers: Used as references for more information about the toys, Mr. Jiang’s story and the museum. 7. Internet: Used to search for relevant websites for more information and served as a communication tool among team members. 8. Computer: We use computers in the computer room to do the project. 9. Software: Dreamweaver CS5, Flash CS5, Photo Impact X3, Office2003, Format Factory, Audacity, Power Director. Most equipment mentioned above was provided at school. Some are provided by the members.
2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.
After we read the media reports about Taiwan Toy Museum on the Internet, we thought it’s a good idea to introduce the wonderful land. We contacted with the present curator, Mrs. Jiang and then made preparation for the interview. The more we knew about the museum, the more we looked forward to the visit. The curator, Aunt Wang, told us many stories about the museum, provided many precious materials, and demonstrated the methods of playing various toys. We learned a lot and had so much fun that we even didn’t want to leave. We also interviewed the visitors there, and everyone was very happy and satisfied with the visit. When they knew that we were doing CyberFair project, they all answered our questions happily. What we experienced in the museum motivated us to do this project well, and then we could share the fun of playing toys with others through Internet. Besides that, we volunteered to help on holidays in the museum. That’s because we truly believe “It is more joyful to share the joy than to keep it to oneself.” We therefore become the spokespersons both for Taiwan Toy Museum and CyberFair to share the fun, joy and culture heritage with others by this project.
3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?
We are glad to help people know more about this museum and its touching stories. What we saw in the museum is not only the collection of toys, but also the perseverance and kindness of this couple. Without their unselfish kindness and continuous efforts, some culture and fun of toys might be forgotten. Moreover, these toys and precious memories should be kept well and passed on from generation to generation. We try our best to make the culture of toys known to people in our community. And we are going to provide our project to the use of Taiwan Toy Museum. Through our project, people would also have the chance to encourage Mrs. Jiang and support this museum more.
4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?
We feel an immense gratitude to those who ever helped or supported us in this project. The present curator, Aunt Wang, accepted our interview, carefully explained to us and provided us with lots of relevant data and pictures. We are very thankful for the staff of the Banqiao 435 Arts District Office and the visitors who generously accepted our interview and took pictures. In addition, we’d like to thank our teachers for helping us organize our drafts and data and teaching us how to create an attractive webpage with different kinds of software. We also appreciate that the volunteer in our community, Yu-Chen Cian assisted us in English translation of toys and other teachers encouraged us to finish the project. Finally, we would also like to give our great big thanks to the staff of National Science & Technology Museum, Miss Fang-Yi Su, helped us get the authorization for using some materials of its publication.
5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)
Discoveries: The toys of our generation are mostly electronic products or computer games, quite different from those in old times. Taiwan Toy Museum shows us the evolution and characteristics of toys. The wisdom of toy design is waiting to be dissolved in the museum. Children nowadays should have the access to experience that. These toys will inspire children’s imagination and creativeness. Lessons: Doing the project was challenging and kept us busy all the time. We envied other classmates when we buried ourselves in the project. However, we remembered what Mrs. Jiang told us, “If you have the dream, you should keep it going and never give it up. Just insist on doing it and never look back. You will reach your aim eventually.” Her words encouraged all of us and enhanced our confidence and perseverance a lot. We hold Mr. and Mrs. Jiang’s belief to deal with all kinds of difficulties in this project. Surprises: This project gave us fresh experiences, such as teamwork, social skills, interview, making webpage, and the spirit of “never give up”. And we were surprised that all the visitors showed great interest in the exhibition. Not like visiting other kinds of museums, they all listened to the introduction carefully and enjoyed themselves so much as to forget the time. We also found that every toy has its ingenuity, and this can’t be found in books unless we visit the toy museum in person.
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View our CyberFair Project
(Project ID: 6718)
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